Yakuza 0 is by far one of my favorite open world singleplayer games that I've ever played both due to the overall great setting and atmosphere but the gameplay and combat is some of the best fun I've had in a while.

Yakuza, and like so the Yakuza games as a whole are a rather unique experience that isn't quite like any game I've ever actually played in the past. Besides being an open world game it is also a third person beat em up game where melee combat is the main focus, unlike most games attempting to recreate the Akrham combat system, Yakuza 0 is all about button mashing someone's face in with over the top violence and brutality. The open world by itself is rather compact however densely populated with an abundance of minigames to choose from such as Karaoke, disco and bowling to name a few which really adds to the overall experience given the game really gives you a taste of what it'd feel like to actually visit Japan in the late 80's, minus being assaulted for no reason in public. As for the length, the gameplay is surprisingly addictive, you can find yourself playing for days worth of gameplay without even bothering with the main story due to the selection of distractions and other minigames in store for you.


The story of Yakuza 0 is a remarkably enjoyable experience by itself, it is a rather cinematic game with a great writing to it that is sure to leave you with an emotional impact by the end of it all, well written characters as well as the overall plot make the game have that much more of an immersive feeling both from supporting characters as well as enemies you will meet. Considering this game is a prequel to the original Yakuza that came out in 2005 on the PS2 this game is the go to starting game if you consider trying out Yakuza following up to the remaster of the first game Yakuza Kiwami.


The soundtrack is stunning, purely stunning. Even now I still listen to some of my more favorable tracks on a daily basis and I never grow tired of it, 80's rock among other genres really have a strong feel given this game's theme and it never disappoints.

The game, as well as generally speaking the entire Yakuza franchise is entirely in Japanese with English subtitles, this might seem offputting at first for people like me who prefer to play their games in English, but given the overall impressive voice acting as well as general feel of the game, you wouldn't want it any other way.

The PC port is surprisingly optimized despite the overall poor release state considering the glitches and crashes it suffered at first, you can run this game pretty easily with fairly low tier rigs and that is rather welcoming by itself.

If you're wondering if you should get into the Yakuza franchise, this is the game to do it, I myself got absolutely HOOKED into Yakuza since I played this and even took the extra mile to be able to play the other games before they've released on PC, I'm just in love with this game, and I'm sure you will be too.

Overall excellent experience, 9/10!